The Many Ways to Observe Sept. 11

Published: September 6, 2007

I was dismayed (but not surprised) when I read this article. Like Lesli Rice, I, too, lost my mother on Sept. 11 in the World Trade Center. Not a day goes by when I don't think about her and miss her, and this feeling is magnified on the milestone that is now Sept. 11. I am sure that the same holds true for those who lost relatives and loved ones on that tragic date.

At first, I participated in the memorials that were sponsored by the City of New York, but now I choose to commemorate the day in a more private manner. Nonetheless, I appreciate the fact that those who were most affected by these horrible events have a choice of how we want to remember our loved ones.

Melissa Bernstein

Austin, Tex., Sept. 2, 2007

To the Editor:

Re ''As 9/11 Nears, a Debate Rises: How Much Tribute Is Enough?'':

I find the question offensive to all New Yorkers and in particular to the families of those who perished then. How much tribute is enough to the Holocaust, to the Armenians and the Kurds or to any other atrocities of this world? Are New Yorkers any less important?

I give my tribute to 9/11 every day; I look up to the city skyline and at that empty space, and I wish I could see again those ugly towers and the smiling faces of those who worked there and whom ''somebody'' seems willing to forget about and go on as if nothing happened. Sergio Stefani

New York, Sept. 3, 2007

To the Editor:

I think it is time to move on from commemorating Sept. 11 so publicly. That day was certainly a tragedy, especially to the people who lost loved ones. But what has happened to this country since Sept. 11 -- the war in Iraq, domestic spying, the implicit sanctioning of torture and a complete lack of concern by the United States government for the average American -- is the greater tragedy. How do we commemorate those losses?

Stephen D'Agostino

New York, Sept. 2, 2007

To the Editor:

We perseverate over the dead of 9/11 because we have no accomplishment to provide closure to the event. The people responsible were not apprehended and brought to trial according to standards of American and international justice. Afghanistan, the failed state that once nurtured the attackers, still flounders in turmoil.

Instead of rising to the challenge of communicating our ideals of individual empowerment to everyone everywhere, we have retreated into authoritarianism, militarism and politically motivated fear-mongering.

We squandered the natural sense of community and unity that arose in the weeks after the attack.

We will and should continue to read the names of the dead forlornly and ashamedly until we are proud of our response to their murders. America's fitting tribute to Pearl Harbor was V.J. Day and the creation of a stable international order that prevented global conflict for 60 years and averted World War III. This was the reaction of a great nation to tragedy. And after that mission was accomplished we had no need to keep mourning our slaughtered sailors and soldiers as victims; our actions were the tribute that made them heroes.

Let us elect a government that will bring us the closure we and the dead of 9/11 deserve. Paul O'Moore

Dresher, Pa., Sept. 2, 2007

To the Editor:

Your Sept. 1 editorial ''A Non-Political Memorial'' captured the essence of concerns about the annual 9/11 memorial commemoration at ground zero being turned into a political event. On this solemn day of remembrance, the names of the 2,749 victims of the terrorist attack should be read by 9/11 family members, and politicians should be present to show their respect and remain silent!

Arnold Korotkin

Little Falls, N.J., Sept. 1, 2007

To the Editor:

For me and millions of Americans who watched the tragic events of 9/11 unfold on our TV screens, Rudolph W. Giuliani was a calming and welcome presence for which I was and am grateful. He may be a former mayor, but he remains associated with that fateful day more than any other single American.

As such, Mr. Giuliani has surely earned the right to speak at the memorial event. To begrudge him that right because he happens to be a Republican candidate for president is, in a word, political. To do so in an editorial that purports to be calling for ''A Non-Political Memorial'' is downright hypocritical.

Gary Miranda

Portland, Ore., Sept. 1, 2007

To the Editor:

Your editorial was perfect. The simple answer is to have Rudolph W. Giuliani attend in silence on Sept. 11.

Anything else can be seen as tacit endorsement for his candidacy and would be a terrible abuse of an already sad day. Thank you for putting this day in its proper context. Diane Horning